The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-07-23
A SWINDLED EDUCATOR.

A 0 w LIN OACO GO O S<A ON.
 Prof Ableton Snort, of the Bear Wallow academy, who attended the teachers convention, which met re- gently in Chicago, wrote the follow ing letter to a friend:
 "MY DEAR SILAs: If a man, l don't care how big he might be, had told me short time ago that so many folks were trying to make their living by teaching school l might not have hit him, but 1 would have taken him to one side and whispered something ill his ear that would have made him wink like cat about to sneeze. My conscience alive, I never did see the like of folks! 1 thought the picnic and barbecue out at Wiley's Cove was a big thing, but it wasn't marker. I thought that the teachers were going to be sorter sifted around among the folks that live here, so none of us would have to pay tavern bills, but am pained to say that such was not the fact. When got off at the depot I looked around while, and as no- body came up and told me where to go, went up to fellow and asked him if he had seen anything of the committee appointed to take charge of the schoolteachers.
 "'Come right this way said he. l followed him, and he showed me into hack and asked me where l wanted to go.
 "'I don't know my assignment I replied. I am one of the teachers.
 "Your name, please?'
 "I told him, and then he said: "Oh, yes, 1 remember now. They told me to take you to the Palmer House. 1 was mighty glad that they had not forgotten me, and as I leaned back in the carriage-and it rode a heap smoother than carry all thought what a great privilege it is to be a teacher. When got to the hotel l stepped out and had started of, when the fellow stopped me and told me that must give him dollar.
 "I thought the committee paid for it, remarked somewhat indignantly.
 "The committee will give you back the dollar,' said he. We have to do this way to keep the business straight. We'll gave him the dollar, although I only left home with six and quar- ter, and went into the hotel. Talk about Anderson's tavern! Why, Si- las, it ain't patchin' to it. Well, 1 wrote my name in big book that lay on the counter, and as I did so I saw that the tavern man had collected quite number of autographs, mostly of the teachers, thought. It wasn't long till saw that something was wrong, and I noticed that the man whose business it was to collect the autographs was eyeing my carpetsack rather sharply. Pretty soon he told me that would have to pay in ad- vance. I explained to him that was guest of the committee, and what do you think, Silas, that fellow was so ignorant that he didn't know anything about the convention. I walked out of that house with proud and impe- rious step and turned down a sort oi an alley where thought the cheap places must be, for by this time I was pretty we'll satisfied that the conven- tion was humbug. Several fellows standing around man that stood be- hind a sort of shelf attracted my att tention. I went up and saw that the fellow behind the shelf had three English walnut shells and little india-rubber ball about the size of a pea. He offered to bet five dollars that nobody could guess which shell he had put the ball under. A sharp eyed looking fellow that stood near me whispered that he saw the ball under the middle shell, and sortel squatting, I looked, and there it was plain enough, for the shell wasn't dowr over it entirely. The fellow slapped down five dollars, and won. The shel man struck the shelf with his fist and cursed himself, and said that he be. lieved he would quit, as he was about to go broke. He gathered up hi, shells, looked around, scratched hi head and said that he would try it on, more time. He fixed his shells, and squatting down again, saw the bal under the middle shell. Prof. Able. ton Snort,' said I to myself, now il your time to make five dollars, and you need 1t, for you've got only fiv, and quarter.' Then thought that 1t would be wrong to take the pool fools money, for had the heels or him, and there came struggle be. tween necessity and principle, but, a usual, necessity overcame principle and planked down my money, and Eilas, when the fellow took up tn, nl.1y %ho 1,nl1 xuaev~,& Aho~n tTr~Y,